Top 25 Skinny Recipes 2012

As we come to the year's end, I can't help but reflect on the highs and lows of 2012, and try to imagine what 2013 will bring. Today is a gift we should grasp with both hands, and remember that our faith, family, health, our home sweet homes, and the food on our table are all we really need; everything else in life is a bonus!

But looking back, there were lots of Skinnytaste highlights this year, the top of the list was a book deal with Clarkson Potter – woohoo!!! I've been really busy testing new recipes for the cookbook, then comes the photography, book design, cover designs, lots of fun stuff ahead! I promise to keep you posted as I go through the process.

I can't express how grateful and thankful I am for all of your support. Your comments, emails, the photos you share with me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook mean so much to me. Nothing would be possible without you.

Some other great Skinnytaste highlights from 2012:

Fitness Magazine Best Healthy Eating Blog Winner
Babble's Top 100 Mom Food Blogs
Huffington Post Living 35 Diet and Nutrition Experts to Follow
The Daily Meal Top 25 Food Blogs 2012

On a more personal note, I also started running more this year and I'm getting better at it everyday. Perhaps my goal for 2013 should be to run a 5K, we shall see!

And now, for the Top 25 Most Popular Skinny Recipes posted in 2012:

1. Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
2. Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side
3. Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
4. Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole
5. Skinny Green Monster Smoothie
6. Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones
7. Skinny Texas Cheese Fries
8. Bangin' Grilled Shrimp Skewers
9. Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken
10. Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas
11. Avocado Egg Salad
12. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
13. Zucchini Tots
14. Skinny Overnight Oats in a Jar
15. Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats
16. Kalyn's Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
17. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
18. Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
19. Asian Edamame Fried Rice
20. Insanely Good Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
21. Skinny No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
22. Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
23. Oven "Fried" Pickles with Skinny Herb Buttermilk Ranch Dip
24. Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
25. Spicy Black Beans Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

And if you would like to see what recipes were popular from the previous 2 years, here are the recipes that made the Top 20:

Top 20 Skinnytaste Recipes 2011
Top 20 Skinnytaste Recipes 2010

Have a happy, safe, healthy new year!

New Years Day Traditions: Potato Collard Cakes with Simple Rouille and Black Eyed Peas with Collards and Sweet Potatoes

Do you believe in the importance of traditions? How about folklore and superstition? Even if you don't I think it's fun to celebrate Holiday's and special occasions by making special memories and creating lasting traditions that will comfort and make your family and friends feel special.



This is actually a post I did last year but honestly, it was so good I just can't imagine making anything else to celebrate the New Year.


We all know that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity. 

Black-eyed peas are a common Southern dish, and the practice of eating them for luck is generally believed to have begun during the Civil War. When Union soldiers moved through Mississippi, they burned all the crops except the peas because it was believed that only farm animals ate them. When Southerners found that black-eyed peas were the only food left, they considered the legumes a sign of good fortune. 

Other legends say that the practice dates to ancient Egypt when it was believed that eating a meager food like black-eyed peas showed humility before the gods and you would receive blessings of prosperity in return. 



Whatever you believe this recipe is fancy enough to  celebrate with family or friends on New Years Day and simple and healthy to start your year off to a healthy new way of living.

Potato Collard Cakes with Simple Rouille and Black Eyed Peas with Collards and Sweet Potatoes.

click for recipe

Do you have any special traditions or foods you celebrate with on 

New Years Day?

Have a wonderful New Year!

Simply Healthy Family

Top 20 Skinnytaste Pins on Pinterest in 2012

 

As we come to the end of the year, we thought it would be nice to take a look at which Skinnytaste recipes Pinterest users loved most throughout 2012.

 

It's interesting to see what recipes are popular on Pinterest, some of the photos pinned were photographed so long ago, I almost want to re-shoot them!

 

Here are the Top 20 Favorite Skinnytaste Pins on Pinterest in 2012. If you're not already following Skinnyaste on Pinterest, you can follow all my boards here.

Top 20 Skinnytaste Pins on Pinterest in 2012

1. Turkey Stuffed Peppers
2. Easiest Pasta & Broccoli Recipe
3. Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones
4. Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
5. Creamy Grape Dessert
6. Skinny Taco Dip
7. Fiesta Lime Rice
8. Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
9. Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip
10. Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
11. Skinny Green Machine Smoothie
12. Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili
13. Low Fat Strawberry No Bake Cheesecake
14. Mexican Cobb Shrimp Salad
15. Pumpkin Pie Dip
16. Spinach Lasagna Rolls
17. Chicken Quesadillas
18. Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side
19. Homemade Skinny Chocolate Cake
20. Baked Chicken Parmesan

  
Although this recipe didn't make the my Pinterest Top 20 list, my Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes won the Ziplist Pinterest Pinner Award out of over 800,000 recipes! Soo Grateful! 

23 Skinny Appetizer Recipes

When sit down dinners are too formal, I love finger foods – something you can prep ahead then heat just before serving. I went through my recipes and picked out some favorites that would be perfect if you are hosting a party. Some served cold, others hot, a perfect combination to make any table proud.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Skinny Coconut Shrimp

Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Black Bean, Avocado, Cucumber and Tomato Dip

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

Creamy Parmesan Spinach Dip

Deviled Eggs

Easy Crust-less Spinach and Feta Pie

 

Edamame Hummus

Hot Spinach Dip

Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins
 

Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail

Skinny Baked Brie Phyllo Cups with Craisins and Walnuts

Skinny Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip

Skinny Shrimp Salsa

Skinny Taco Dip

Southwest Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Spicy Crunchy Tuna Tartare

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Homemade Salsa Picante Roja

Bangin' Good Shrimp

Hot and Cheesy Crab and Artichoke Dip

Hot and cheesy imitation crab and artichoke dip, serve this with baked chips and you have the perfect appetizer for a party.

My husband was craving an imitation crab meat salad and we made the mistake of going food shopping hungry... at a wholesale store no less, so we came home with 3 lbs of imitation crab meat!

What to do with all that imitation crab? I decided to make a hot dip with it using ingredients I had on hand.

I can see using a good light Swiss, such as Jarlsburg or a light mozzarella instead of cheddar, but all I had was cheddar and I thought it was fine.

This is large enough to feed a crowd. If you don't want as much, you can certainly make half or freeze half for later. Make this a day ahead, then pop it in the oven before you are ready to serve. Let me remind you, this is a dip, so the serving size is 1/4 cup which I think is pretty average knowing people will pick on other stuff. Only 2 points plus per serving, I had to double check and see if I was wrong!

I tried this with pretzel thins, baked lentil chips (pictured here), baked corn chips.. it was great with all. Use what you like, and if you prefer to use real lump crab, go for it! You can even sprinkle some panko on top before baking... I would have but didn't have any.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skinny Chocolate Peppermint Cake Pops

Chocolate and peppermint are the perfect combination, and these cake pops are perfect if you need a last minute Holiday dessert!

After much success with my first attempt at a skinny cake pop, the flavor combinations and possibilities are endless. Here I used chocolate cake with Wilton's peppermint white candy melts sold at Michaels.

The cake pop pan is made by Nordic Ware, it's about $16 and makes perfect, easy cake balls every time.

For the full recipe go to Dash Recipes where I contribute monthly skinny dessert recipes. Happy Holidays!

Skinny Eggnog Cake

Need an easy dessert to bring to a Holiday party?

This cake is easy and delicious. Simply combine a yellow box cake mix with nutmeg, Chobani, water and egg whites and you'll have a deliciously light cake ready in no time. Top the cake with some whipped topping spiked with rum or rum extract and dessert is ready!

I used Truwhip as a healthier alternative to Cool Whip, which contains no HFCS, hydrogenated oils, transfats or GMOs. I heard Trader Joe's also carries a similar whipped topping if you are lucky enough to have one near you. Happy Holidays!!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Veggie Shooters (Crudites with Skinny Ranch Dip)

Fresh cut vegetables served in individual shot glasses with your favorite dressing makes for an easy, healthy, elegant appetizer. No double dipping!

Think color and use your favorite vegetables; raw zucchini or celery would also be great. These are also kid friendly, my daughter loves bell peppers, carrots and cucumbers.

Of course, you can buy store bought dressing to save time, but whipping up a batch of your own is easy. You can make the dip and cut the vegetables ahead of time, then assemble when you are ready to serve it. If you are serving vegans or dairy free diets, swap the ranch dip for hummus!

If you're heading to a Holiday party and are worried about over-eating, bring these veggie shooters and skip the chips!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skinny Frozen Hot Chocolate

A dreamy, icy blend of chocolatey goodness, without the guilt! Today's recipe is a guest post from my dear friend Brandi. She's blogs over at BranAppetit, please welcome her!

Hi guys! This is Brandi from BranAppetit, and I’m so happy to be here, sharing a recipe with you.

If you’re anything like me, you have families that love to eat and drink super high calorie foods during the holidays. I’m guessing it’s like this for everyone, really, but it doesn’t have to be! I definitely indulge in some foods that I only get during the holiday season like my mom’s fudge pie or my Mammaw’s ham gravy, but there are some easy ways to make great holiday treats a little more figure friendly.

Take this frozen hot chocolate.

A normal recipe would set you back hundreds of calories, but you can slim this down easily by swapping in skim milk and adding a touch of rich unsweetened cocoa powder for even more intense chocolate flavor.

My favorite way to have this is to add in a drop or two of peppermint or coconut extract, but it’s just as delicious without it, too. And with the warm December we’ve been having in Virginia, a frozen hot chocolate has been my go-to treat this year.

Hope you all have a great holiday season!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Tuscan White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup (Crock Pot Recipe)

Creamy white bean soup, with roasted garlic and a touch of sage. So simple and inexpensive to make, and so so good. Leftovers can be frozen.

This started out as an experiment, and ended as a soup. I never know what to expect when I throw something in the slow cooker, I wanted to see if I can cook white beans in the crock pot without soaking them first. The answer is yes you can; it took about 3-4 hours on high. But they basically looked like cooked beans in water, not like a thick pot of beans that I imagined so I quickly fixed that and turned this into a great tasting soup.

As a kid, I remember my Mom pureeing all my soups to make me eat them. As an adult, I tend to still like my beans pureed in my soup. You can leave some beans whole as I did to give it some texture, or blend the whole thing, up to you.

My method for roasting garlic is a little unconventional, I peel my cloves before roasting because I prefer not to have to do it after. Completely up to you how you roast your garlic, the end result is the same. If you are pressed for time, and wish to skip the roasted garlic, it will still taste wonderful. I personally think adding them makes it go from good to great.

Note: if you want to make this vegetarian, substitute the chicken bouillon for vegetable.


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

A Day of Silence

Slow Cooker Chicken Black Bean Tacos

This easy taco recipe requires no pre-cooking, just throw it all in the crock pot and you'll have a delicious weeknight meal. Black beans and chicken breast, simmered in the slow cooker make the perfect filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or even a burrito bowl and it's loaded with fiber.

Personally, I love this served in crunchy corn taco shells. I make a quick red cabbage slaw which adds a little acidity and crunch, and it's a healthier option than iceberg. Add some spicy pico de gallo for freshness and avocados, and I am one happy gal! So good you won't even miss the cheese!

I often make my own pico de gallo, but when I'm pressed for time, I have no problem buying it. There are lots of great options in the refrigerated produce section of the supermarket, Nature's Promise is usually my go-to, is organic and has just the right amount of kick.

Avocado is so good on tacos, and loaded with heart healthy fats. It's creamy and delicious and I totally skip the sour cream, but if you rather save on calories and leave it out, fat free Greek yogurt works fine in it's place.

As for my slow cooker, believe it or not, I've had many bad experiences with crock pots cooking to hot and turning out strange tasting food... until I bought my current Slow Cooker, the Hamilton Beach Set and Forget 6 Quart Slow Cooker. Love it and I've been using it for over a year with great results every time! As part of my week of Target giveaways, I wanted to give away the same exact one, but couldn't find the same exact model. I did find one very similar, without the probe (which I never used anyway) so today on Skinny Bits, if you want to take a chance at winning this wonderful prize, click HERE and leave a comment on Skinny Bits for a chance to win. (Please do not leave your comments here on Skinnytaste, they wont count.)

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skinny Cake Pops

Cake pops made lighter by using a box cake mix, egg whites and fat free Greek yogurt – no oil, no butter required!

Today is my daughter Madison's 3rd birthday!

She is having a little birthday party in school and I was asked to bring something that wasn't too messy, so I thought cake pops would be perfect! But then I remembered lollipop sticks and 3 yr olds aren't such a great idea, so after thumbing though the Bakerella Cake Pops book for ideas we decided on cake balls that look like little cupcakes.

Cake pops are all the rave thanks to the very talented Bakerella, but using the traditional method of crumbling the cake with frosting adds a lot of calories to each pop. The only way to make them lighter is by using a cake pop pan, rather than the original method; it's quicker and easier too! I tested out my lighter cake box recipe to see how they would turn out, and it worked like a charm!

I played around with a few cake pop pans and machines out there and realized they are not all created equal. After testing out a bunch of them, I had huge success with the Nordicware cake pop pan, which is only about $16 at Target.

So today, in honor of my daughter's birthday I am giving away the Nordicware Cake Pop Pan, and Bakerella's Cake Pop Book on Skinny Bits (courtesy of Target). Giveaway ends Wednesday evening, so hurry!

Now be warned, these are FAR lighter than traditional cake pops, but they are dipped in chocolate, which will add up if you eat a lot, so you'll still need some self control! Dark chocolate, of course is the healthiest option, but for color purposes today I went with white chocolate. Candy melts (available at Michael's) were used for my daughter's cake balls.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Eggnog Pancakes

What's better than waking up to pancakes for the Holidays! I swapped out the milk in my whole wheat pancake recipe and replaced it with Silk Nog and some extra nutmeg for a fun Holiday twist.

Why Silk nog? I checked the labels of all the eggnogs available in the supermarket, and Silk Nog had the cleanest ingredients, and only 90 calories per serving. It's also non-GMO, and perfect if you are lactose intolerant. If you like another brand of light eggnog, you can certainly use it in it's place. I topped mine with a little honey and powdered sugar, but you can use maple, agave or your favorite toppings.

Today I am giving away this cute Holiday pancake set from Nordic, available at Target, so head on over to Skinny Bits for a chance to win!

If Eggnog is not your thing, check out these other fabulous pancake recipes:

Banana Nut Pancakes, Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes, Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with Pumpkin Butter,  and Whole Wheat Pancakes.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...